An answer came to him like a spear through the gut. “Logan.”
“Impossible,” Opal replied immediately. “I talked to him. He wouldn’t come back. He’s totally freaked out.”
Nico scowled in disgust. “Who else, Opal? He’s the only other person who knows about the Darkdeep, and he was AWOL all morning while we were at school.”
Opal opened her mouth, then closed it. A look of concern crossed her face.
Emma spoke in a small voice. “What if it came on its own?”
Nico frowned. “That’s impossible. Figments appear after someone goes in the whirlpool. That’s how it works.”
“Do weknowthat?” Emma regarded him with serious eyes. “We’re guessing, about this whole thing.”
“We need answers.” Tyler pounded a fist into his palm. “For real this time. No more games, no playing around. Someone built the houseboat, which means they knew about the pool. Theyhadto have left a record behind.”
Opal nodded from across the gap. “I’m worried we started something we can’t stop.”
A popping sound made Nico jump. The figment had vanished. Tyler sighed in relief, but then froze mid-exhale, squinting into the ravine. “Guys? There’s something else down there.”
Nico leaned over the edge. “Ty’s right. I think maybe it’s a … jacket?”
“More than that.” Emma’s voice caught. “I see a person. Or what’s left of one.”
Opal looked down, then slid the board over the ravine and quickly walked across, releasing a pent-up breath when she reached them. Nico tapped his chin a moment, then pulledthe board farther back until its far end dropped into the hole. Before anyone could protest, Nico angled the plank against the side of the ravine and scrambled down it like a ramp.
“Nico,come on,” Tyler whined. “Haven’t we had enough fun for today?”
Nico ignored him, heart pounding. “It’s a skeleton,” he finally managed.
The bones were still in proper arrangement, held together by a zipped-up canvas uniform and heavy men’s winter jacket. It was a miracle the figment hadn’t trampled them. A worn baseball cap sat beside the skeleton. Nico recognized its logo immediately, and his stomach sank. “This guy worked for Nantes Timber Company.”
“Can you tell who it is?” Opal asked. “Like, is there a wallet or something?”
She wants me to touch it.But Nico knew he didn’t have a choice. He reached into the jacket pockets. Nothing. So he swallowed and pulled on the uniform’s zipper. It slid a few inches and got stuck. Nico stepped back, hastily wiping his hands on his jeans. “I didn’t find anything.”
“That’s okay.” Opal strangled her braid with both hands. “Nico, just come out of there. We shouldn’t disturb the dead.” Emma and Tyler nodded solemnly.
Nico removed his phone and took a couple of pics, just in case. He didnotwant to come down there again. He was about to climb back up the board—and shake out a serious case ofthe heebie-jeebies—when something around the skeleton’s neck caught his eye.
Almost against his will, Nico knelt. The skeleton wore an ornament on a cord. It rested against a collarbone slashed by a puckered brown line, as if the bone had been broken once but never properly set. He took one last photo.
Something stirred the leaves at his feet and Nico lost his nerve. He leaped onto the board and darted up out of the ravine like something was chasing him. The others patted his back until the shivers subsided.
“What’d you see?” Emma asked.
“Necklace.” Nico’s mouth was dry. “I left it alone.”
“Like the ones in those houseboat pictures?” Opal asked.
Nico blinked, then pulled up the image on his phone. “Yeah, actually.” He showed it to Opal. “Like the carving in the tunnel, too. But there was nothing useful down there.”
“Not nothing,” Tyler countered. “You said the skeleton wore a Nantes Timber uniform?”
Nico nodded, his Logan suspicions flaring anew. Tyler rubbed his chin. “If this poor guy worked at the mill, there should be documentation.”
Emma arched an eyebrow. “I bet we could find it.”
“Not us,” Opal said, her eyes finding Nico’s. “But we know who could.”
